Firms get behind worthy causes despite recession

OTTAWA - When five young Ottawa professionals with big ambitions put their heads together, they transformed their small consulting firm into a multimillion-dollar Canadian tech success story.

When the same five men decided they wanted to give something back to the community, they acted with equal determination, and the result began to take shape Thursday.

They broke ground at the site of the Wellspring Ottawa Maplesoft Centre, a family-style centre that will house programs for cancer survivors and their families on everything from eating healthy to laughter workshops, all free of cost and without referrals.

It was made possible by a $1.8-million donation from personal funds and company profits to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

"We try to lead by example and give back to the community in which we live," said Jody Campeau, president and CEO.

"We got to understand what the foundation stood for, and what their campaign was all about. That's where we really became determined and inspired to get involved."

All are between the ages of 32 and 41, and they live, work and raise their families in Ottawa. Their company, and others in Ottawa, are proof that technology firms are still willing to donate to worthy causes, even though the sector as a whole is still struggling economically.

Campeau and Carl Nappert joined the Maplesoft Group as partners in 2001. After buying out the company, the two were joined by Jack Gulas, Jean Maisonneuve and Jody's brother, Jason.

Maplesoft, which began as an information-technology consulting firm and now has 100 employees, helps companies and governments plan and deliver business and technical projects.

For the 2009-2010 fiscal year Maplesoft is projecting $70 million in revenue, doubling the previous year's, and now has offices in Toronto, Calgary, St. Louis and Dubai.

Campeau said the rapid growth is a result of acquisitions in Toronto as well as the team-orientated culture of their company. "Everyone checks their egos at the door."

Maplesoft came to the cancer foundation's attention after Nappert, Maplesoft's executive vice-president of consulting services, got the team involved sponsoring a run for prostate cancer. The foundation's board of directors saw Maplesoft as a new and upcoming company with a history of charitable giving.

Six months ago, Maplesoft executives sat down with the foundation to talk about supporting Wellspring - something Campeau said was a "no-brainer."

"Giving back for us is key, because people really take pride in it and (through) their hard work and our successes as a company we turn around and give back to the community," Campeau said.

The work of the foundation, and Wellspring's focus on support for cancer survivors, is something their employees can get behind, he said.

And having their name on the centre, he said, is a reminder for their whole team to continue to give back.

Foundation president and CEO Linda Eagen said Maplesoft's "life-changing" donation made the groundbreaking Thursday a reality.

"It's so critically needed in our community right now," Eagen said. "The doors aren't even open and I'm getting calls on a regular basis."

But it's not just the money. Eagen said that from Day One Campeau and his executive rolled up their sleeves and joined her team at the planning table, helping build the technology infrastructure of the new centre - a database for patients, teleconferencing, video surveillance - and leveraging their partners to get the best deals.

Philanthropy is not a new venture for this tech company. Two years ago, Maplesoft started the Maplesoft Children's Foundation, which runs a summer camp for underprivileged kids. And as hockey lovers, the team was inspired to fund non-profit hockey organizations in Ottawa and Calgary.

James Bowen, a professor at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, said it's not uncommon for tech businesses to feel the need to make charitable donations.

"I think a lot of it is just the corporate culture," Bowen said. Often tech startups wouldn't exist without community support, he said, so it's not surprising when a company returns the favour.

Protus, an Ottawa-based company specializing in web-based communications tools, recently announced it would assume the role of lead sponsor for the Canadian Cancer Society's three local Relay For Life runs.

The employees, roughly 90 when the company started out, took on the relay as their corporate sponsor when the wife of a co-worker was facing cancer. She became involved in the relay, said marketing and communications manger Tara Landry, who also serves on the office's relay committee.

"For a lot of us it's still a tribute to her," she said. "It means a lot to everyone here."

They've tried to keep that motivation as a grounding point in the fundraising they do as their company and sponsorship commitment grows.

"We're not just some tech corporation that's nameless and faceless," Landry said. "We all live here and we're a part of this community."

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